Pet Food Bank Serves Senior Pet Owners

The Haltom City Senior Center works through the Don't Forget to Feed Me Food Bank to assist resident seniors in providing pet food for their dog or cat. This pet food bank was started in 2008 and has since collected and distributed nearly 3,000,000 pet meals to deserving pet owners right here in Tarrant County.

In late 2014, a pilot program called Home, Not Alone was started. This program, working through Senior Citizen Services of Greater Tarrant County, offers pet food to participants at area senior centers twice a month. The Haltom City Senior Center was one of our first locations and served as a pilot program. The program has since expanded to 10 area centers.

Food bank volunteers bag and sort pet food for the "Home, Not Alone" program, and it is delivered straight to the centers. There are no requirements beyond being a participant at the center. Participants may receive dog food, cat food, or both. Each participant receives the same amount of pet food no matter how many pets they have, or how big those pets are.

The "Home, Not Alone" program is supported by grants from the Rees-Jones Foundation and the Helen D and R.E. Wallace Foundation at The Community Foundation of North Texas, as well as by many private individuals. Since the pilot in 2014, "Home, Not Alone" has delivered nearly 30,000 pounds of pet food through senior centers in Tarrant County, helping our seniors keep their animals with them at home and helping seniors use their limited incomes on other needs.

Currently, 100 seniors participate at the Haltom City Senior Center. Haltom Senior Center volunteer Rodney Greenlee has become one of our most faithful and enthusiastic volunteers. Rodney loves delivering pet food to his friends at the center.

If you would like more information about this program or would like to see about volunteering/donating visit their website. If you would like to get on the pet food distribution list, call the HC Senior Center at 817-834-8021.